#whyidash contest

Read each story of the contest finalists and cast your vote at the bottom of the page.

Voters are limited to one vote. Voters are instructed to vote on the following criteria: Enthusiasm (55%) and Genuineness and Authenticity of the content (45%). Voters will be able to vote for the Winner until June 4 , 2018.

Terrell

I dash to give my daughter a bright future

Hello, my name is Terrell. I am a senior at Middle Tennessee State University. I started dashing for most of the same reasons as others, but what makes my situation so unique is the journey I’ve had to endure along the way. I have been trying to obtain my bachelor’s degree for the past 10 years. It wasn’t because I’m lazy or unmotivated, it’s been because I am a single father who took full custody over my daughter nine years ago.

My child’s mom started doing drugs and actually had me robbed at gunpoint for no reason. So I reported it and she was taken away. My child is nine years old and it’s been a struggle trying to raise a baby at the age of 18, moving from place to place. It’s caused my little one to be unstable from going to multiple schools.

The money that DoorDash has allowed me to make has supported my tuition. I am so grateful for DoorDash allowing me a second chance at hope. Winning the $20K would allow me to finally pay off half my tuition and also give my daughter a chance at not struggling so much for the next nine years. I plan to invest in myself and use the money for a greater cause—if I can finish school, then I can make her life better. All I’m looking for is a little break at the constant pressure of life, all I do is give to others and just for once it would be a breath of fresh air, through all my givings, if I have something to show for it. Thank you for this opportunity.

Sheweat

I dash to give my mom financial stability

I was raised by a single immigrant mother who came here to the U.S. from Eritrea right before she turned 18. She didn't know English, didn't know American ways, and she didn't even know how to drive a car when she had me. All my life I have seen her have the strength to take care of me and made sure I wasn't without. She took English classes, worked endless jobs to make sure we had a roof over our heads and food to eat. At the age of 11, she bought the house that I grew up in and still have the pleasure to lay my head in right now.

I started DoorDash in November of 2016 to make more money to help us out and potentially ease our situation. She brought my grandfather to our two-bedroom home shortly after my grandmother passed away to take care him. Since then, there hasn't been stable income to make ends meet. I had a stable job working in Accounts Payable and got laid off back in February and started dashing full time because I was denied unemployment. I had to figure how to make some type of income to survive at this difficult time. It has gotten so bad for us that my mom was this close to selling our home because it was heading to foreclosure and she wanted to prevent that. She has less than 20% left on her mortgage to own the home and would be devastated, as well as I.

I dash for her. She motivates me to keep going when the road gets tough through the strength she has carried in raising me until now. If I won the prize, I would tell my mom, "Let's go to your bank and pay off this mortgage so you can get some financial freedom and peace of mind." I dash for her as she has done everything for me in my life and want to make her proud when she thinks of me, her only daughter.

Mamdouh

I dash for the satisfaction of making people happy

My name is Adam and 1,165 deliveries and 13,000 miles later, I am still going strong! To answer the question of "why do you dash?" I must break it into two parts: "why did you start dashing?" and "why do you still dash?"

To answer the former, here’s a bit of a backstory: I am a Syrian refugee who came to this country seeking peace and a better life. Seeing the atrocities of war, I’ve become convinced that becoming a doctor is my true calling. I was 18 when I arrived here all by myself. I enrolled in college not knowing how I’d manage. I was scrambling around trying to get student loans and juggling part-time jobs to pay rent. I could not do my best in school because of all the time and effort spent working.

Becoming a Dasher has completely turned my life around. A senior microbiology student at SJSU, I am now a semester away from graduating and for the first time in four years, I have completed a semester without getting a single dollar in student loans. Also, my academic performance has improved markedly. How, you ask? Well, I think I may have just cracked the code. I started recording my lectures daily and as soon as I got into my car to start a dash, I would play back my recordings and listen to my lectures again.

However, "why do you still dash?" is more personal to me. Simply put, dashing brings me joy because I am delivering happiness. Yes, I am delivering happiness. If food was just about nutrition, we would all be sitting around chewing on kale (no offense to kale). But that's not true. Our happiest occasions pivot around two things: our loved ones and the delicious food. I haven’t seen my family in years, but I vividly remember the joy of gathering around the table sharing meals (occasionally fighting lightheartedly over the last slice of pizza). I also know the comfort that food can bring somebody who is feeling down. I have seen more smiles delivering food to people's doorsteps than I have seen doing anything else. So, I came for the cash and the flexibility, but I stayed for the smiles, the awesome people (and puppies that run to the door), and the satisfaction of making people happy. Happy dashing and keep delivering happiness!

Janice

I dash to overcome homelessness

The reason why I dash is simple, yet can also be viewed as complex. In short, I dash to have and maintain some sort of self-sufficiency while enduring homelessness with hopes that I'll one day be able to have my own home again soon. I lost my home in August of 2016 and though I had a full-time job, it wasn't quite enough to qualify for another place. After doing odd jobs here and there to supplement my income, I happened to see an ad for DoorDash and thought "why not?" So in July of 2017 I started dashing and loved it! However, due to health and certain circumstances beyond my control, I lost my full-time job.

I've been homeless the entire time I've been dashing, but all I've had during this time has been my car and my phone, so I have it made up in my mind to utilize the resources I have to try to survive. Plus, I've enjoyed dashing so much that I focused on it full time for a while, but I've realized that my true dream is to go back to school to become a social worker, which is what I'll be working on doing this summer.

I truly enjoy helping people even if it's just being the one to bring them food. Seeing a person's face light up after what may have been a long day for them over something as simple as me bringing them food brings me joy and motivates me to keep going and keep dashing, even on days I ask myself if it's worth it because at the end of the day my situation still is what it is. I imagine that is the same type of endurance I'll need as a social worker, so I also see it as training myself in that aspect. Though I may not win or even become a finalist, #WhyIDash contest is very touching and shows that DoorDash knows, sees and cares about its Dashers who are working tirelessly every day, not only to deliver good food, but to make their own dreams come true as well. Either way, win or lose, I'm very grateful for that.

Heather

I dash to be my daughter's main care provider

A couple years ago, my daughter, Leia, was diagnosed with autism. I knew then that with all of her therapies and starting special day class pre-school, I wasn’t going to be able to work a job where I was committed to a schedule I had to keep without risking losing my job. That’s when I heard about DoorDash from my wife’s coworker. She told us about how you set your own hours and could even cancel a shift without any repercussions. It sounded like the perfect gig!

I went online and applied to be a Dasher and went to orientation within the next couple days. That very same day, I tried out my first dash and was HOOKED! Not only was Dashing a convenient way for me to make the extra money we needed, but it was FUN! It’s like a challenge...how many orders can I get in the time I have? How high can I keep my approval rating? (It’s 4.81 right now.. not too shabby!) But most of all it’s the challenge of how much money can I make to help support my family in my free time?

I love Dashing for DoorDash because I am my own boss! I am in control of how much I work! So I can be my daughter’s main care provider, which is so, so important to me because I know she is safe and always with someone who loves her. Since she is non-verbal, I wouldn’t want her to be in daycare all day where she could be harmed without being able to tell me. So, THANK YOU, DoorDash, for giving me a way to help provide for my family, on MY time!

Cast your vote here

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Voters are limited to one vote. Voters are instructed to vote on the following criteria: Enthusiasm (55%) and Genuineness and Authenticity of the content (45%). Voters will be able to vote for the Winner until June 4 , 2018.